The RAVN's Perch
by anime freak 3D2Y
Summary: 50 years have passed since the fall of the White Fang, but relations between human and Faunus has only worsened. The Faunus have separated themselves from the humans to make their own country, Astol. The hunters school here is strictly Faunus only...until now. The Black Claw, a revolutionary group formed from the remains of the White Fang begin to take action. Full summ inside
1. R for Ray Relian

**good morning everyone! This story has been developing in my mind for a month or so now, but I just finished developing the majority of the characters and the story for this first volume. That's right, volume, for I intend to make this a multi part story. I'm sure you've noticed that this story has no characters selected, well, that's because I'm using my own characters. This is my own story that I'm currently developing. I'm using this as a foundation to practice my writing career with, because I wish to be a story writer in the future. I'm simply using the world of remnant as a foundation to build the house which is my story. Now, I know what you're all thinking. "This is just another lame fan story where the author puts himself in the world of remnant!" This my readers, is not the case. I intend to make this into a well thought out story with firm character and plot development. I hope you guys just stay and enjoy the ride. With that said, I'm aspiring to be a writer, so this story will most likely have several errors in the way it was written, especially since I have to use my phone and not my computer. My computer is broke, by the way, but I will try to update frequently. My goal is a chapter ever Saturday, but this might not always workout. With my school work and everything piling up, I may need more time. With that being said, please enjoy!**

* * *

50 years have passed since the fall of the White Fang, but relations between human and Faunus has only worsened. The Faunus have separated themselves from the humans to make their own country, Astol. The hunters school here is strictly Faunus only...until now. The Black Claw, a revolutionary group formed from the remains of the White Fang begin to take action. Join Ray Relian and Axel Alexanderson, orphans that survived the streets with each other, find companions to fight alongside with. The Black Claw will not make this an easy goal however, with a deep hatred for humans they wish to exterminate them from the face of Remnant. They will do anything and everything in their power to achieve this goal, even if it means sacrificing their own kind. A golden truth shines in the darkness however, and with it hope slowly returns.

* * *

The light has faded, and the darkness has settled in once again. The moon is casting an eerie light down upon the earth, for it is broken like the civilization on Remnant. A light in the darkness steps forth though, and walks one with the darkness around him. A figure can be seen walking under the streetlights of mistral. Black high top sneakers splash in a puddle breaking the silence in the night. The boy stops under a street light, that flickers so often against the cobblestone road.

"Son of a, just my luck" said the young man. The boy ran his hand through his messy red hair. He lifted up his leg and took of his shoe. Using the streetlight as support, he poured the water out. Sliding his sneaker back on, and puting is foot down while his blue jeans stop around his sneakers. Hands go in the pockets of his black hoody, for it was a chilly autumn night. A chill raked through his body as he zipped his hoody up over his red shirt. Golden eyes closed shut as he yawned and scratched his hairless face.

"Well, it's all worth it to have Vere Aureum back in top condition" he said as he pulled this huge sword from his back. The golden swords length was almost the same height as him, with a length of five feet, and a width of a foot and a half. The hilt curves up along the length of the blade about a foot.

The boy presses a button where the blade meets the hilt. A compartment opens up to reveal two long green tubes. He closes the compartment and places the sword on his back. He aligns it from his right shoulder to his left hip, so he does not hit the blade with the back of his legs. He begins walking again, heading towards the center of town. He reaches the end of the road and turns left. The only sound that can be heard are his feet against the cobblestone of the road. Not liking the silence, he speaks his thoughts aloud.

"Looks like I should be good with my dust supply for a little while, so long as I don't run into much trouble" the boy said as he looked at the dark buildings around him. Only a few lights were on here and there, but otherwise it was dark inside the buildings.

"It is late, not surprised to see everyone turn in for the night" he turned another corner and stopped as he saw two figures standing in the middle of the street. Under a streetlight he can make out their appearance. Their curvaceous figures are covered in black garb from head to toe. They wear identical black mask which conceals all facial features.

"Ray Relian, you have something that belongs to us" said a raspy metallic voice. Ray shuddered at the sound of the voice, for it sounded so robotic. The one on the left proceeds to pull a chain from behind her back. The other pulls a katana from her hip, and holds the blade in front of herself with both hands.

"To what do I owe the honor of the Black Claws presence?" Ray asked while shifting uneasily on his feet.

"Hand over Vere Aureum, or..." The one with the katana swipes quickly at the streetlight, while the other smashes her chain against the ground. The streetlight fell over cut in half, and a pothole was made from the chain.

"I hate fighting girls" Ray said as he pulled his sword out from behind his back. "But hey, don't make me use all my dust. I just paid for the stuff." The assailants broke apart and delved into the shadows. Ray tenses and raises his guard. He spins and raises his blade to meet the blade of the katana. Ray jumps back to avoid the chain coming down on him. He leans back as a katana misses his face by mere centimeters, he flips backward to avoid the chain heading for his legs. While in mid flip he is kicked in the back by the katana wielder. Ray yells and is sent tumbling down the street. He stops rolling and looks up to see a chain coming down on him. He rolls to the right and avoids most of it. His left shoulder is not as fortunate however, it was hit and is now dislocated. Yelling in pain Ray slowly stands up on unsteady feet.

The two were standing a few feet away, just looking at him. Ray was confused at first, until he heard their laughter.

"This is almost too easy" said the one with the chain as she hunches over from laughing. The other one was more refined and held her hand to where her mouth would be if it was not for her mask. "I agree, awfully weak, aren't you?" They resumed their laughing, for they believe that victory is in their grasp.

'I can't swing Vere Aurem efficently in this state' Ray thought looking to his dangling left arm 'I'll just have to make them angry so they make foolish decisions' the laughter was dying down to a stop and they were looking at Ray now. 'Hmph, I got it'

"Like weak Faunus like you could even challenge me." Ray said, the one with katana stood still, while the others hands tightened around her chain. 'That got their attention, even though I'll be heading to Astol soon'

"Hehehe, nice bait but you can't-"

"Disgusting flea bags like you, ew my nose can't handle the disgusting smell of you filthy animals" Ray then scrunched his face in disgust. Blood is now dripping down the chain for how hard her grip has gotten.

"You filthy human!" She charges at him, her friend is surprised at her lack of composure. She pulls her chain back in a wide powerful swing, Ray smirks and dashes forward into her. He slashes from her left hip across her chest and up the right shoulder. Using the momentum from his swing, he twist his hips, and kicks her with his left leg. 'Too shallow, not enough strength with just one arm' Ray thought as He hits her in the torso, and she is sent flying to the right. Ray looks back at the other one and raises his sword in a block. She pulls back and slashes across his chest, he purposefully takes the hit and slashes towards her midsection. She jumps to the left to avoid the swing, but the sword is too large. Blood splatters against the cobblestone as she falls to her knees. She clutched her wound and looks up at Ray. She sees a foot heading for her face, but Ray is blindsided by a chain attack. Ray flys backwards and rolls across the road.

Ray rolls onto his feet and swings his sword in front of him. The chain wielder jumps over the attack in extreme nimbleness. In mid air she kicks Ray in his chest. Blood covers her foot as Ray is sent rolling backwards. Putting his hand to his chest, he winces and looks at his hand.

'It's not too bad, just a flesh wound' Ray thought ducking a katana slash aiming or his neck, and the chain wielder pulls her arm back to attack. Spotting an opening, Ray kicks her in her chest. A yell is heard as she is sent flying. She rolls into a streetlight, and her heads makes a loud clank against the pole. Ray winces, and looks up just to duck his head down, for a katana blows by the back of his head.

"Don't get distracted now!" She yells as she swings her katana up into Ray. Ray steps back and aims a kick into her wounded side, she brings her arm down in an attempt to lessen the damage. With great force she is sent rolling to the ground. She grasp her side in pain, for her arm did not block the whole attack. Ray hears movement to his left and jumps back to avoid the chain. When he lands he looks towards the two assailants, and he sees the one with the chain check the katana wielder.

"Didn't I tell you? You're no match for me" Ray said as he turns and runs down the street. Practically dragging his sword across the ground, and gritting his teeth as his left arm swings limply. He can hear footsteps from behind getting louder, so he runs faster.

'Damn, I'm in no shape to be running around like this' Ray thought as he turned a corner, and a chain flew past his head while he was turning. Ray puts his sword on his shoulder and aims the blade behind him. He jumps and presses a button on the hilt, then a torrent of wind propels himself forward at an intense speed. He hears two yells and flies through the air. Landing and sliding across the ground, he looks back to see if his assailants were still following him. They pick them selves up off the ground and resume the chase.

"Dammit, I can't win like this" he said as he turns down a dead end. He saw the wall of the city further down, so he speeds up. He looks back and sees that the two Faunus are just turning the corner. Ray is only a hundred yards away from the wall now. The wall is a looming two hundred feet concrete wall. So Ray does what is natural, and jumps as high as he can. His aura flashes a brilliant gold as a surge of wind collects beneath his feet and propels him higher. Ray is riding on the wind he created, and he is flying ever higher.

"That's his semblance!? He can control the wind!?" Yells a metallic voice from behind. The one with the katana scales the wall of a nearby building getting higher ground for the wall. The one with the chain does the same and is now running on the roof with her partner.

Ray looks on unsurprised and puts his sword against his back. He grabs his left arm with his right, and begins to move It around forcefully. He feels the socket, and he forcefully pushes his arm back into place. He screams in pain, and hunches over releasing the contents of his stomach on the wall. He looks up and scowls.

The one with the katana throws her partner towards the top of the wall while holding the chain. The one in the air pulls her friend off the roof and pulls her next to her in mid flight. The one with the chain flips and sends her chain flying towards a light on the wall. She grabs her partner and hauls them both over the top. Landing on soft feet, they both turn towards Ray, and Ray was already jumping over the other side of the wall outside the city. Ray lands in a nearby tree and continues through the forest. The two Faunus give chase, and they start catching up. Ray turns in the air and swings his sword from behind his back. His aura flares and he presses the button on the hilt. A cyclone shoots out of the sword and sends the two Faunus against the wall. While it propels him down to the ground, and he crashes hard. Ray bounces and tumbles battered and bruised.

'That hurt so bad! But, it was necessary, after all, my eyes have to adjust to the dark...' Ray thought trying to gain the breath he lost, he looks to around on the ground and all he sees his darkness. He slowly gets up and notices red eyes in the distance, and not just one pair, but several pairs. 'They must sense my pain to come this close to the wall...' Ray looks around as the trees take form. '...I have a plan...' He thought as he ducks a katana slash aiming for his head. He jumps back to avoid the chain coming down on him, but that was not all. He turns and cuts an ursa in half that tried lunging on him, cutting a tree in the process. He was in a dance of death, he waltzed with his sword against the Faunus and tangoed with the grim.

'I'm so tired...' He swayed a chain swing, and then he cut down a beowolf and halfway through the tree next to it. Ray is slowly backing up through the trees, all the while slicing trees and grim alike. '...tenth tree, I need to hurry this up...I'm low on-' all thoughts stopped as he was hit in the temple by something hard. He flew through the air and crashed into a tree. He looked up with hazy eyes and saw the two black garbed Faunus stomping towards him.

"I'm done" cuts down an ursa "playing with you" stabs a beowolf. They were about one hundred yards away at this point. Ray smirked and brought his sword in front of himself. He cut down a beowolf lunging at him, then he presses a button at the bottom of the hilt. The sword splits and folds at the hilt. It then wraps around Ray's fingers, his hands, and then his arms. It is almost like his arms are robotic from the shoulders down. He opens his hands and reveals an opening in the palms. The Faunus stop in their tracks, stunned that the weapon changed.

"What have you done to Vere Aureum!?" Yells the one with the katana. Ray smirks and punches an ursa away from him.

"I simply made it more suited to my semblance" Ray says as he opens his palm towards them and let's out a blast of air. It is condensed and knocks the one with the katana back. The one with the chain appears shocked at the power of the wind. She then turns and sprints towards Ray as he keeps assaulting her with air. She dodges once, twice, then she is hit and sent flying back into her friend who was trying to get up. Ray smirks, then shoots air at the trees he cut prior to getting hit by the chain. The air had enough force to send them tumbling down on top of the Faunus. Ray was shooting air out of his palms left and right. When all the trees were piled on the Faunus he stopped and slumped against the tree. Ray looks up and sees the grim closing in on him, he scowls and aims his palm at the closest one. It flew into five more and sent them into the woods. Ray shoots a beowolf getting to close. Ray is on the verge of passing out, for he is so fatigued.

'I've used too much aura...' Ray's vision gets blotchy as he fires another air round at the grim. An ursa was on top of Ray, and Ray did not even notice. As he looks up into the eyes of the ursa, he could see nothing but hunger and hate. The claw was coming down on him, so agonizingly slow. Time seemed to stop as he looked death in the eyes, and he frowned.

A blade the size of a forearm crashes into the ursa's head. A chain attached to the blade pulls it back to its owner. Ray looks up, and smiles as he stares into silver irises several feet away. Blue messy hair blows as he spins and cuts down another ursa with his chain blade combo. A twenty foot chain was attached to each arm, and a blade was attached to each end. The man jumps and a black pants leg kicks an ursa into the woods. white high top sneakers flash in the night as he moves in front of Ray. A white blazer and a blue t-shirt was all Ray could see as the man stabs a beowolf jumping towards Ray. The blades transform into pistols as the man began pumping each grim with bullets. Ray sighs in relief, then he smiles looking at the ground. The man finishes up the grim, so he turns and kneels to be eye level with Ray. Silver met gold as the mans hairless face showed worry, relief, and anxiety.

"Axel, I'm really happy to see you" Ray said as Axel pulled Ray into a hug. Axel pulls away soon after and looks at Ray with relief now.

"Lil bro, what happened? When you didn't get back to the inn, I got worried." Axel said while looking over Rays injuries. Ray points to his shoulder, and Axel pulls Rays hoodie off to get a better look. Moving his short red sleeve out of the way, Axel looks and feels around the injury. Ray grimaced as Axel feels his shoulder and collarbone.

"Nothing's broke, now let's get out of here" Axel said standing up. Ray looks up at him and chuckles.

"Axel I can't move, I used way to much aura" Ray said as he grimaces from trying to move. Axel turns from Ray and squats down. Ray looks on in bewilderment, not sure what he is doing.

"Time for a piggy back ride" Axel laughed while Ray scowled. Ray puts is arms around Axels shoulders and Axel reaches back to grab his legs. Axel stands up and begins walking towards the town.

"You've gotten heavy" Axel said as Ray looks ahead.

"Of course I have, it's been years since you last gave me a piggy back ride" Ray said sounding upset.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're getting fat." Axel said laughing. Ray then punched him in the head.

"I'm not getting fat!" Ray yelled

"Ouch" Axel said rubbing his head "I know, I was just kidding hehe...but, in all seriousness...what happened? You were supposed to just be picking up Vere Aureum from the dust shop." Axel asked in curiosity. Ray snaps up, and swears.

"Damn! I forgot all about those two!" Ray said as he looks back into the forest. Axel is approaching the wall of the city as he listens to Ray.

"Who? Was someone else in danger?" Axel asked sounding worried. Ray nodded, then spoke up realizing his brother couldn't see him.

"Yea, well, sorta" Ray said as Axel listened. "The Black Claw found us" Ray said. Axel stops and looks up at the night sky. Axel then begins walking again, they are approaching the wall. Axel looks around on the ground for a second. Ray yawns as Axel grabs a rock from the ground.

"I hate this part" Ray said as his grip tightened. Axel chuckles and throws the rock up on the wall. Once he heard it hit the top, his aura spiked for a second. Then, they were on the wall, standing next to the rock. Ray put his hand to his head feeling dizzy.

"Flash is pretty convenient, but it makes me nauseas" Ray said as Axel picks the rock back up and throws it into the city.

"Yea, I'm used to it though" Axel said as he puts a hand up to his ear. Ray sighs as he hears the rock hit the ground. Then they were in the city on the road walking towards the inn.

"We're almost there Ray" Axel said moving down the road. "Are you hungry or any-" Axel cut his sentence short when he heard light snores coming from behind. Axel laughs and continues walking down the street. He turns a corner and looks down the street at the inns sign. "The Grim Colossus" it read as he approaches the door.

"I guess it's a good thing we'll be leaving for school soon" Axel said. Walking inside "If the Black Claw knows we're here, then that's the only safe place for us"


	2. A for Axel Alexanderson

The sound of birds chirping can be heard coming from outside. The sun shines through the window and hits Axel's sleeping face. He stirs for a second, for the light was causing him to wake. Axel relents and sits up in bed, then he yawns and stretches. His joints crack as he wakes his body up. He looks around the room to get his bearings. A small cozy room with two beds and a nightstand in between his and Ray's bed. Axel looks over at Ray, for he is still concerned about his well being. Ray lightly snores and rolls over. Axel chuckles and swings his feet over the side of the bed. He places his feet on the hard wood floor and shivers. Standing up, he shuffles over to the ajar door on the far side of the room. Stepping inside, he reaches for the light and turns it on. Turning and closing the door, he then twist the lock more out of habit than concern of privacy. He takes care of his business while inside. He turns toward the sink, he turns the faucet on and rinses his hands under the water. Reaching to his right for soap, and he does not feel any. He proceeds to then look around for soap, not finding any he shrugs and turns off the faucet. Drying his hands on the hand towel next to the sink, he looks in the mirror and smiles.

"I got a feeling we're gonna have a good day today" Axel spoke to himself in the mirror. He then winks at himself and opens the door to the bathroom. Stepping out, he walks over to his bed. Reaching under to grab his shoes moving his weapon to the side, he pulls his sneakers out. 'I shouldn't be needing you today, Ferrum Domina' Axel thought as sits atop his bed.

Left foot in left shoe...wrong shoe. Now it is left shoe. Once he has his sneakers on and tied he stands up and dust himself off. Looking back at Ray, he walks around his bed towards the night stand. He pulls out the drawer and sees a bible, a notepad, and a pen. He grabs the bible, shrugs, and tosses it behind him.

'I've ran into so much trouble in my life, I have met God' Axel thought as he grabbed the pen and paper. Closing the drawer he places the notepad on the dresser and quickly writes...

'I'll be out the majority of the day. Just take it easy and rest up, I'll have the hostess bring up food to your room throughout the day. Don't leave the room, I should be back in the evening. See ya later bro,

Axel'

Axel smirks at his letter and places it on the nightstand towards Ray. Axel looks at Ray, mouth open slightly snoring. Axel chuckles, turns, and walks towards the door opposite Ray's bed. Axel quietly opens the door and steps outside the room. He turns to the left and begins walking down the hall. The walls are aligned with doors, and in between each door is a picture relating to the sea. Not thinking anything of it, Axel continues on.

"It is a port city" Axel thinks aloud, he yawns and proceeds down the hall. It is not very long, only about five rooms on each wall including his own. Axel rest his hand on the railing and proceeds down the stairs. While he is coming down he looks over the main room, or well, the bar. It was more accurate to call it a inn and bar, for the bar is at the far wall away from the entrance. Several tables are strewn about the room, a few patrons can be seen eating breakfast at the tables. Axel descends the stairs and proceeds towards the bar to speak to the hostess. As he approaches, the hostess looks up, blushes, and smiles shyly.

"C-can I get you anything?" She asked while playing with her flowing blonde locks. Axel sits down and smiles sweetly at the girl. He places his hand on top of hers and looked in her blue irises. The hostess flushes and looks at Axel with lust.

"Yes, my dear little brother was injured last night..." Axel said looking downcast and troubled. The girl nods and licks her lips waiting. Axel reaches with his other hand and rubs under her chin with his finger. "...and I'll be busy all day, so...I was wondering if someone could bring him his meals while I'm gone"

"Y-yes! I can do that for him!" She replied with half lidded eyes. Axel smiles and reaches behind him pulling out his wallet.

"How much do I owe you, Beautiful" Axel said flashing her another smile. The girl blushes harder and brings a hand to her cheek.

"I-it won't cost you a thing" she said looking directly at Axel. "I'll have three of my finest meals ready for him"

"That would be great" Axel chuckles, and she shivers. "But I'll feel bad if I don't give you something, so..." Axel reaches inside his wallet and puts ten lien in the tip jar on the counter. He then pulls his hands to her lips and leaves one kiss on the appendage. She leans against the counter to support her weight as her legs felt like jello. "...Thank you"

"Y-you're welcome!" She replies leaning towards him over the counter. Axel pulls away and stands up from the counter. He smiles down at her one last time and turns away from the bar. He begins walking through the bar toward the door. Once he reaches the door he looks one last time back at the girl. She was looking at him the whole time, so his looking back brought a smile to her face. He winks, then proceeds through the door. Once the door closes behind him he sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I hate doing that to women" Axel said walking embracing the morning air. "But I'm low on money, can't afford three meals for Ray." Axel thought aloud as he walks with his back turned away from the sun. Not going in any particular direction, just enjoying the morning.

Axel is looking around at the buildings as they begin to open for the day. He notices various venders selling things ranging from dust to fish, but it is mostly fish. Walking through the streets with the smell of the sea permeating through the air. The cobblestone road was slick with slime from the fish, and it squished every time he stepped on it. No one seemed to notice this though, the people walking on the street must have been used to it.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Axel asked himself. He walks over to the side of the street, so he would not get in the way. Several people moved through the street, a few were carrying or pulling crates of fish. A tap on the shoulder alerted him to his right, so he turns and faces the man getting his attention.

"You look like a decent enough young man" the old man said. He rubbed his rough beard down and blew out some smoke from his pipe. "You think you could do somethings for me? I'll pay you"

"How much?" Axel said smiling at the man. The man scratches his head and blows out more smoke. He turns and motions for Axel to follow him. Axel follows the man behind his stand, and waits for the man to speak.

"I need to go make a delivery" the man said turning to look Axel in the eyes. "I need you to watch the stand for me, I'll only be gone for a few hours. I'm willing to pay you a hundred lien for this."Axel looks shocked, and the man raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, sure, I mean, yea...I'll do it" Axel said recovering from the shock. 'I just made a hundred lien, sweet' Axel thought while shaking the mans hand.

"All you gotta do is watch the stand for me" the man said. He then gestures towards the open road where pedestrians were walking. "If someone wants to buy some fish, then just be polite and give them one...make sure they pay first!" The man added.

"Alright, sounds easy enough" Axel said looking over his new work station. "What's your name, old timer?"

"The names Earnest" Earnest said with his back to Axel. He then turned and threw Axel an apron. Axel caught it and began putting it on. "Don't want your clothes to get any of this stuff on it, it doesn't come out"

"Thanks, old man" Axel said ignoring the scowl on Earnests face. Earnest shook his head and sighed. He walks up to Axel digging in his pockets. Axel tenses, not sure what this man was going to do. Earnest then pulls out his wallet. He reaches in and grabs a bill and hands it to Axel.

"Fifty lien" Earnest said. Axel pockets the money and looks at Earnest. "You'll get the rest when I get back, and if my stand is still in one piece"

"Alright. You can count on me!" Axel said enthusiastically. Earnest smiles, grabs a bag with something in it, and walks out of the stand. Axel watched as he left, once he was out of earshot he laughs and says. "Nice. Easy money today."

Axel stood there looking through the crowd as people walk up and down the street. He began shuffling his feet as he grew bored. Minutes passed, then an hour passed, still nothing.

'I wonder if Ray is doing alright' Axel thought. He sighs, and notices a stool to his right. He pulls it over and sits down on it. He leans over and rest his head in his hands while he lets the time pass. 'I hope he's feeling better after last night'

o0o

"Wait...you're telling me all this food is mine?" Ray asked looking at the pretty lady that just entered his room. She had a cart full of food pulled right up to his bed. She smiles warmly at him and nods.

"It sure is sweety" she said while placing the food on a tray then on his lap. The plate had a stack of pancakes, several sausages, and some breakfast potatoes. A glass of orange juice was put to the side with a pitcher of juice for refills. Ray sits against the headrest and smiles at the food. "Your brother requested this food for you earlier in the morning"

"Thank y-" Ray looked up and saw the lady shaking her head and blushing furiously. A sweat drop formed on Ray's head as he looks at this girl. The lady smiles and turns to leave. She walks out of the room and closes the door, then Ray releases the breath he was holding.

"Axel must have used his charm on her" Ray said stabbing a bit of potato with his fork. He brought it up to his mouth and started chewing on it. "I doubt he payed the girl, not like we could've anyway"

Ray slowly ate his meal in peace. He looked out the nearby window and saw several people walking up and down the street. He smiled and grabbed a glass of orange juice and took a small sip. He ate in peace for a few minutes before setting the plate over to the side. The plate still has some leftover sausages and pancakes on it.

"I doubt Axel ate anything" Ray thought aloud as he finished his glass of orange juice. Ray laid back down in the bed and stares at the ceiling. "Axel always worries too much"

o0o

Axel looked on with a smile, for before him were several women trying to buy the products from the stand. Axel wraps a fish in some paper and puts it in a paper bag. He then hands it to one of the ladies, but he made sure to give her a sly smirk. She blushes furiously, mutters a thank you, and backed up from the stand. Several more ladies were asking Axel about 'his' produce. Axel laughs and continues working with the ladies.

'The old man better appreciate this' Axel said while putting some money into the register. Axel then wrapped another fish and hands it to the lady who paid. Axel winked at her while she backed away from the stand. 'Ray gets mad when I take advantage of women like this...he'll probably be happy this time though!'

Axel is soon working up a sweat from handling all the fish, and dealing with all the women. Axel pulls a fish out of an ice tank and wraps it. He hands it to a lady who hands him some money. He smiled sweetly at her and put the money in the register.

Minutes soon turned to hours as Axel worked at the stand. Soon, he saw an arm stick out through the ladies and grab the counter. Pulling himself through the horde, Earnest breathes heavily while looking at Axel. Axel smirks at the old man, and gives him a thumbs up. The old man laughs and walks around to the back of the stand. He walks up to Axel who is leaning against the counter.

"You've certainly turned things around" Earnest said looking at the line of women waiting, as Axel dealt with another customer. Earnest pulls out another fifty and hands it to Axel. "Here, you deserve this, in fact..." Earnest pauses looking at all the money in the register. He pulls out a few bills and handed them to Axel. "...Take this too. Thank you for watching the stand for me"

Axel looks at all the lien and smiles. He counts five hundred lien in total and pockets the money. Axel then took off the apron and handed it to Earnest. Axel shakes the mans hand and steps out of the stand. Axel turns and looks at earnest.

"I can help you next summer" Axel said, while kicking his feet on the cobblestone road. Earnest looks at Axel in bewilderment. "That is...if you don't mind?"

"Hahaha...that would be great lad" Earnest said looking at the customers. He then snaps his head back to Axel as Axel began to turn and walk away. "Wait! What's your name, mi'boy?"

"The names Axel, Axel Alexanderson!" Axel yelled stopping to look at Earnest. He smirked and waved as he turned and walked down the street. He feels the money in his pocket and smiles brightly. He begins walking back into downtown, for it was early afternoon now. The downtown section was starting to get busy, and Axel wants to browse the stores with his money. He begins walking, and dodging the bodies of pedestrians all the while keeping his hand on the money in his pocket. One can never be too cautious, especially with the life that Ray and Axel live. Axel sighs and takes some of the money out, he then put it in his left pocket. He kept most of it in the right, but decided to split it up.

'I'll give some of this money to Ray' Axel thought as he side steps a baby stroller, he looks and smiles at the baby as it laughed up at him. The woman blushed at Axel and kept moving. Axel turns and starts walking down the street again. 'Ray will need some money, for when we go to school'

Axel walks around aimlessly for little while, because nothing seemed to catch his eye. Then Axel looked and saw a sign that read 'The Dust Depot'. He blinked, and then laughs. He walks down the street towards the building. He stops in front of the store and reaches for the door knob. He opened the door and heard a bell jingle as he stepped inside. The door closed as he looks around the shop. Several shelves are stacked with a plethora of items for dust. He walks through an aisle and sees cleaning kits, handling tools, wash cloths, etc. Axel turns and walked down another aisle, dust tubes, grenade canisters, bullet magazines... Axel stops and looks over the bullet magazines.

'Hmmm, for a small store they have a decent collection' Axel thought as he pulls out a box of assorted nine millimeter rounds. He turns it over and smiles at the price tag. 'A box of a thousand for one hundred lien! That's a steal'

Axel opens the box and notices they were arranged by their element. He closes the box and walks back down the aisle. He exits the aisle and walks toward the counter, but something catches his eye and he turns at the shelf. On display was a dust tube, but it does not say what element it is. This peaked Axel's curiosity as he stares at it. The shop clerk steps over toward the item.

"This is our latest item" The young man said gesturing towards the tube. Axel looks up at him then back at the tube. "It's 'The Rainbow Tube'"

Axel looks at the tube unimpressed. It was just a simple white tube, it looks like any old ice dust tube. Axel scoffed and put the bullets on the counter. The clerk looks at Axel and nods toward the tube. Axel shakes his head showing his disapproval of the product.

"Sir, it isn't some regular old ice tube" the clerk said, Axel gave a look of shock. The clerk laughs and reaches for the tube under the desk. "A lot of people think it's just some ice tube at first glance, because it's all white. But...if we do this"

The clerk then clicked the tube into a glass box. Inside the box was some sand, probably from the beach outside town. Axel looks down at the box while the clerk hits a button on the box. Once he pressed the button, the sand inside the box was covered in frost. Axel looks from the glass box to clerk, and the clerk chuckles in embarrassment. The clerk hit the button again, and the sand began blowing around rapidly. Axel looks astonished at the box, the clerk smirks and hit the button again. This time the sand started smoldering, and Axel smiles in excitement. The clerk presses a different button and detaches the tube from the box. The clerk then grabs another rainbow tube and put it with the bullets.

"Do you want a tube now? It only cost a hundred lien" Axel nods and pulls out two hundred lien. "The total comes to...two hundred and ten lien" Axel pulls out another bill and sighs, damn taxes.

The clerk bags the items, then takes the money from Axel. Axel grabs the bag from on top of the counter, and the clerk presents his change. Grabbing the change, Axel turns and proceeds to leave the store. Turning his head over his shoulder and giving a thanks to the clerk in the process. He opens the door and leaves the establishment.

"That just turned into my favorite dust shop." Axel said as he turns down the street. Axel looks up and notices that the sun was in the middle of its decent in the afternoon. He started walking up the street, back towards the inn. "I might as well head back and check on Ray now"

Axel was enjoying the afternoon sun, for it was a comfortably warm day. The bustling streets only seemed to add to his good mood, for Axel enjoyed being active. He turns at the corner and walks down a silent street. The only people on the street our himself and a couple of people walking his way. He is soon standing in front of the inn. He turns to open the door, but as soon as his fingers brush the knob.

"Stop! I told you I'm not interested!" Said a girl from across the street. Axel turns around and looks for where he heard the woman. Right across the street he sees a group of guys huddled around a woman. She walks past them with her long dirty blonde hair flowing in the wind, and her brown leather knee high heeled boots clap against the pavement. One of the men quickly catches up, grabs her by her denim sleeved arm, and pulls her next to him. Axel drops his items by the door of the inn, and stalks over to them with anger in his eyes.

'No one treats a lady like a piece of meat on my watch' he thought as he was halfway across the street. He could see the poor girl squirming in her black leggings to get out of his grasp, she turns and pulls her right arm back to swing her large black handbag, revealing her yellow tank top under her open denim jacket. Axel is only a few feet away by this point.

"Marisa? Marisa! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Axel exclaims as he grabs the girls right arm with a gentle grip. He then takes her by the hips and pulls her away from the group of men. The girl looks confused, for she was passed between these two men like a toy. Axel kisses her on the cheek, and notices her ears stick up on the top of her head. The girl in his arms blushes and wags her tail in excitement. Axel notices her ample chest from his position, but he looks at the ugly men in front of them instead. "Sorry, but this beautiful young lady is with me"

"Hahaha, you have to be kidding right?" Said the one in front as the other two stepped forward from behind. Axel looks at the three men, sizing them up, they do not look very strong. Just your everyday thugs, nothing special. The girl looks at the men in disgust and bares her teeth at them.

"Yea. Marisa is with me, I thought you-" Axel began, but he was cut off by the sound of the three men laughing. Axel looks at the men in confusion.

"You actually think this...thing, is beautiful?" The man said gesturing towards 'Marisa', she looks down and her ears then lay flat on top of her head. Her tail stopped moving as well, and Axel grips her hip a little tight. The girl looks from his hand to his face.

"If she isn't, then why give her so much trouble?" Axel questions bringing his hand up to her shoulder now, no need to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Faunus chicks are easy that's why" the one standing to the left said. Axel stiffens hearing that, and the girl looks back down at her feet. "Even ugly beasts like her can satisfy us"

"All I see is a beautiful girl" Axel said looking into the girls amber irises, she began to blush as he smiles at her. "And don't let me hear you say another insult about her"

"Pff. The skank isn't worth the trouble anyway" said the man as he began to turn around, but Axel finished the turn for him. Axel punches the man square in the face, the girl looks surprised at the sudden movement. Axel releases the girl and steps toward the three men.

"You three need to be taught a lesson about respect" Axel said cracking his knuckles. The men charge him at the same time. Axel ducks a punch and sways another. He throws an uppercut and sends a man reeling back, and he parries another blow. Axel elbows the second man, and kicks the third. The first man throws a punch at his head, only to be counter punched as Axel hit him with a hook. Axel turned and swayed back to avoid a kick, and then parried another punch. He heard a grunt behind him and sees the girl land a punch in the first guys face. The third guy threw a punch at him, and he ducked under it and throws an uppercut. The girl roundhouse kicks the second guy creeping up on Axel.

The first then grabs Axel from behind, and the third stood up to punch Axel. Axel pulls his legs up and kicks the man in the face then flips the one holding him on the ground. The third stood up and pulled a knife on him, and Axel backs up a step. The man stalks closer as Axel brings his hands up preparing for an attack. The girl then hit the man in the head with her hand bag, and kicked him in the gut when he fell. Axel looked at the girl and laughs. She sighs and looks at Axel.

"Thanks, you sure know how to fight" Axel said looking at the three men on the ground. The girl blushes and rubs the back of her head. Her tail is wagging as she steps toward Axel with her hand extended.

"Yea, but you're obviously better" The girl said. Axel grasps her hand in a firm hand shake, and she has a surprisingly strong grip. "the names Leona, Leona Lunari"

"Axel. Axel Alexanderson" He pulled away his hand and smiles at her, not one of his fake smiles, but a genuine one. Leona smiles with a flushed face. Her ears perk up and her tail sways to and fro. She steps away, turns around and walks away. Axel laughs as he sees that her tail is still wagging. He watches her walk for a sec then turns to look at the three men on the ground. He looks up the street, then down the street.

"Lucky" Axel said as he saw no one besides Leona farther down the street. Axel then rummaged through their pockets. Axel finds that two of them have their wallets filled with lien, well, now they were empty. "Probably stole that money anyway, and stealing is wrong."

Axel laughs at his own irony as he turns and crosses the street. He walks to the door of the Grim Colossus and grabs his bag from the store next to it. He opens the door and steps inside, and his eardrums were assaulted with noise. The bar was packed with people, and the tables were crowded as well. Axel smiles and walks to the far end of the room. He turns and walks towards the stairs, and watches as the hostess tends to the needs of the patrons. Quickly running up the steps so the hostess does not notice him. He looks back to make sure no one was following, releasing the breath he was holding, he walks down the hall. This time when he sees the artwork hanging on the wall he smiles, because it just reminds him of his exciting day. Once he reaches the door to his room, he reaches for the door knob. Slowly twisting it he opens the door quietly. He slowly steps inside and gently closes the door then locks it. He looks and sees that Ray is just as he left him. Axel chuckles softly and walks towards his bed. He sits down and unties his sneakers. Taking off his shoes, he then slides them under the bed. He looks behind him and sees a plate of food on the night stand. Axel hears his stomach growl, then slides over to that side of the bed. He reaches for the plate of food and sees that it has all sorts of food from different meals. Some sausages, pancakes, half a turkey sandwich, and some pasta. Next to the plate he sees a can of soda, and under the can is a note. He picks it up and sees that it's the note he left for Ray in the morning, but Ray left his own message at the bottom.

'Thanks for getting me food, and I know you didn't pay for it. It's ok though, not like we could've paid for it anyway. I found out the ferry leaves tomorrow evening, so I hope you're ready to go. We still need to buy our tickets after all. I'll leave the rest of the important stuff for tomorrow,

Ray'

Axel smiled at the message and looks at Ray who was snoring away as he sleeps. Axel chuckles and begins to eat his meal. He finishes within a couple of minutes and yawns.

'Today sure was a busy day' Axel put the plate down and cracked open the soda. He took a few sips then just sat on his bed looking out the window. The sun was beginning to set as just enjoys his beverage. He finishes the soda and sets the can on the nightstand. He swings his feet onto the bed and lays down. 'That cute girl made it all worth it though'


	3. Enter Vahn Girder and Nazir Mandella

The sun has set over Mistral, and the world is covered in a blanket of darkness once again. While Axel and Ray are resting, others are at work. In the forest of Mistral, grim are not the only thing hunters and huntresses should fear. Fires are blazing in the night as black garbed men and women move throughout the camp. Several camps are set up in a clearing in the forest, a large tent in the center bares an insignia. The insignia is an ursa looking out ripping its claw out towards whom ever is looking at it. Fences surround the campsite as the guards make their rounds. A tent near the fence flaps open as a burly man walks outside.

A viridian sleeved arm reaches up to run a hand through short brown hair. The man sighs and scratches the stubble on his face as he takes meaningful strides toward the large tent in the center. Red slitted eyes reflect the fire he walks past, as his timberland boots crush the grass underneath him. He puts his hands in the pockets of his fitted blue jeans. Whistling to himself, he pulls one hand out to adjust the chest plate covering his sweater. Rolling his shoulders to alleviate the weight of the giant green kite shield on his back, he reaches up to make sure the large joust stays in place on his back.

Going past another tent, he hears the flapping of the tent next to him. Stopping to look to see who it is, the large man smiles at his friend. Amber irises look up to meet the gaze of the big man. Long black dreads sway in the wind through the pony tail he has them in, and black cat ears peak over them. A white shirt with one sleeve traveling down the left arm illuminates the night. It contrast his naturally dark complexion as his sleeveless right arm reaches down to adjust his black pants. They stop above his white high top sneakers as he steps out from the tent and speaks to the burly guy.

"Vahn...let us be off" said the man looking at Vahn, who in which stood a head taller than his dark skinned comrade.

"Yes, it is about time for briefing, eh" Vahn said starting to walk towards the center of camp. The man followed after him and they are soon walking side by side. "Where's pass...uh...your weapons Nazir?"

"Passionis et Mortis is back in my tent" Nazir says looking straight ahead. Vahn looks at Nazir with confusion. "I'll grab them when briefing is over...but you always carry libertas et iustitia"

"I can't help it lad" Vahn said bringing his hand up to grasp the handle of named joust. "They help keep me calm during these dark times"

Nazir nods and they both continue towards the center tent. They walk past several more tents, and see a few Black Claw members sitting around fires and talking. They soon approach the large tent and Vahn knocks on a post holding the flaps closed.

"You may enter" said a low rough voice from inside. Vahn parts the flaps for his friend, Nazir walks inside. Vahn soon follows and steps inside the large tent. Inside is a large table and several chairs around the table. At the far end of the table sits a large man with long black hair that frames his scarred face, and it has a streak of orange coming down the side. The man wears a black overcoat and black slacks. His combat boots tapped the grass impatiently waiting for Vahn and Nazir to sit down.

"Figures that you two are late" On either side of the table are two women. Nazir sat next to the one on the right who chastised them for being late, and the girl scoffs. Nazir glares at her and she glared back with amber irises. She crosses her arms across her small chest. Her red tank top scrunches up revealing even more of her midriff. Her black asymmetrical jacket did not cover much of her upper body either. She crossed her white skinny jean legs and 'accidentally' kicked him with her black low heeled boots. Her auburn hair sways as she looks away huffing. She slides her chair away from Nazir which has a black whip wrapped up along the side.

"Good evening, Cassidy" said Vahn sitting next to the other woman. Cassidy simply looks up and nods, before returning her attention to the woman across from her.

"No need to be so upset, Voltaire" said the green haired girl across from Voltaire. Vahn laughs, while her yellow slit irises look at Voltaire. A forked tongue licks dry lips as she places her sleeveless arms on the table. Her blue blouse covered chest pushes against the table, as she leans forward. Her bare legs cross at the ankles of her brown leather sandal high heels. She brings a hand down to adjust her red harimaki holding her two katana against the left side of her white skirt. She then edges forward as she waits for their leader to begin briefing.

"Yes, you four will be taking part in a raid tonight" said the large man at the head of the table. Vahn nods and rubs his chin thinking things over. Nazir merely looks at the man while he speaks. "On this mission you will be known as VNCV, or Vindictive. Vahn you will lead the group"

Vahn nods in approval as Voltaire looks downcast. Nazir chuckles and Voltaire punches him in the arm. Cassidy has a small smile as she looks at the two across from her. The man then points to a map in the middle of the table, while everyone brings their attention to the map. His finger his pointing at a large building near the coast of Mistral.

"This is a storage facility for the Schnee dust company" said the man. Everyone nods as he slides his finger across the map to a star in the forest. "This is our location. You four are to travel with the carriers here and steal as many shipments of dust as possible."

"This doesn't seem like a difficult task, boss Laohu" Vahn noted looking at the boss. "It would probably only require two people. Why so many, eh?"

"Always the bright one" said Laohu. Vahn merely shrugs in response to the question. "If you must know, it's because these two failed their last mission"

"Care to elaborate?" Nazir asked as he smirks at Voltaire. Voltaire glares daggers at Nazir and Cassidy giggles.

"They are to redeem themselves on this mission" said Laohu. Vahn nods and Voltaire looks down nervously. Nazir and Cassidy merely look at Laohu. "Now, pack up and get ready, I want this shipment before it departs in the morning"

VNCV stand and head out of the tent. Once outside Nazir walks towards his tent ignoring everyone else. Vahn stays behind, for he wishes to speak to his female partners. Cassidy and Voltaire step outside and face Vahn.

"You both failed, eh?" Vahn asked looking at the two girls. Voltaire shrugs while Cassidy sighs. "So what happened?"

"Our orders were to retrieve Vere Aureum and Ferrum Domina" Cassidy said while looking down at her feet. Voltaire swore and kicked a nearby can.

"Just remembering pisses me off!" Voltaire said huffing. Cassidy nods in agreement and brings a hand to her side. "The brat modified Vere Aureum"

"Did he now?" Vahn asked in surprise. "That's impressive for the boys background"

"Yea, it appears that him and his brother aren't just any ordinary orphans" Voltaire said angrily.

"So, we underestimated them and didn't bring are best with us" Cassidy said rubbing both her Katanas, while Voltaire feels her whip at her side. Vahn merely nods and looks up to see Nazir heading towards them. Nazir has two large metal armguards that go up his forearms and end at the back of his hand.

"Well, let's be off" Nazir says looking at the three. They all nod and head towards a clearing away from the tents. In the clearing are several carrier ships, designed to carry people and cargo. As they approach, the carriers start up and air is fiercely blowing all around them. Voltaire shudders and Cassidy sighs again.

"What's wrong?" Vahn asked yelling over the sound of the carriers they are approaching. A carrier opens a hatch to let them on.

"Let's just say, that we both hate wind." Voltaire said as Cassidy nods next to her. Nazir gives them a questioning look and proceeds onto the carrier. Vahn shrugs and follows him onboard, while the other two are close behind. The hatch slowly closes as the four seat themselves along the walls of the carrier. Once inside Cassidy takes out blueprints from under her blouse. She lays it down in front off everyone as they all gather around. She points to a large white dotted line along the wall of the building.

"This is the main shutter" Cassidy says while pointing to the dotted line. She then flips the page and points to a large rectangular area. "This is the roof of the building, we'll be landing here." She moves her finger to a large trapezoid object in another viewpoint. "These are the main Windows to the storage area. If everything goes well, we'll be able to get into the building from here. Once inside, we'll be able to open the main shutters."

"How are we gonna get the crates of dust though?" Nazir asked looking at the blueprint. "Those things aren't light, we'll need heavy machinery"

"Already taken care of, laddie" Vahn said pointing at the shutter. "The other carriers with us have other Black Claw members with forklifts and such. We're here as the fighting power, on the chance we run into resistance"

"Speaking of that" Voltaire said. "I don't see any sentry drone areas in the blueprints. So are the guards people? Or are the sentries just kept elsewhere?"

"Hmmm, thissssss is a blueprint during the first stage of construction" Cassidy said accidentally drawing out her 's'. "The buildings structure could be completely different"

"Possible, but unlikely" stated Nazir. "Let's just hope that if there our guards, they're just people hired to watch the place."

Just then a red light starts blinking above their heads. Cassidy rolls the blueprints up and puts them back under her blouse, and she puts her hands onto her katana tensing up. Voltaire rubs her arms and looks at the hatch. Vahn adjust his chest plate and holds onto his joust. Nazir puts his elbows on his knees as he looks at his feet while he's sitting down. A minute passes, then they hear a ringing and the hatch opens for them. They stand up and line up at the edge and look into the night.

Voltaire jumps out first, then Nazir, Cassidy soon follows, and lastly Vahn jumps from the carrier. Voltaire glows a brilliant orange as she suddenly is riding a giant spirit hawk. She swoops under Cassidy and catches her mid fall. Nazir and Vahn flare their aura as they land on the roof of the building. They create two small craters on the roof as they breath heavily. Voltaire and Cassidy elegantly jump from the hawk as it dissipates into nothing.

"Certainly convenient semblance" Cassidy said stepping towards Vahn and Nazir. Voltaire smiles and follows after her. Vahn and Nazir moved towards the window looking down into the building. Cassidy and Voltaire approach and peer inside with them. Using their Faunus eyes, they see four drones inside the storage area. They can also make out a plethora of crates inside the building. Vahn looks at Cassidy, who in which nods in return. Cassidy pulls a katana from her hip and slashes three times at the window. Perfectly cut into triangles they fall down into the building.

All four follow the glass as they land nimbly on their feet. The glass breaks around them and the few sentries are alerted. They look at the glass, and scan the area. A sentry goes to examine the glass. As soon as it steps on a shard of glass. It is sliced in half, and then the one a few feet to the right is ripped apart by a giant spirit lion. Vahn then stabs through the thirds robotic head, and Nazir cut the fourth into pieces. Nazir sighed and walked over to the rest. Under the moonlight, his blades reflect from his bracelet. Three blades almost an arms length extend from the back of his hand. He sighs and then the blades fold in half and return to the armguards.

Vahn points to the shutters to the left of them. Nazir nods and runs over to the shutters, Cassidy walks over to where Nazir is and draws both her blades. Nazir and Cassidy both cut down the shutter. Vahn looks back at Voltaire, who merely salutes while smiling and sends several tiny spirit hawks into the air. She also sends tiny spirit rats into the rest of the facility. The rats eventually came back and dissipate in front of Voltaire.

Three carriers soon landed in front of the broken shutters. They open their hatches and a forklift comes out of each one. Nazir and Cassidy stand aside as the forklifts begin to retrieve the crates. Voltaire sits on one of the crates near the back and sighs. Vahn leans against the wall and waits.

An hour passes and they're down to the last stacks of crates. A forklift picks one up off the top. Voltaire, simply looks over bored as the crate is lifted. She then sees a red flashing light under the crate. Her eyes widen as she jumps down from the crate.

"Vahn! The crates are-" she began only to be cut off by a siren sounding inside the building. Vahn curses and draws his shield and joust. Nazir extends his blades and runs inside with Cassidy who has her hands on the hilts of her katana. Voltaire cracks her whip and a lion forms next to her.

From the back of the building a shutter raises, and inside is a horde of sentries. Nazir rushes in with Cassidy and they cut up several sentries. Voltaire's lion charges in and rips apart a few before dissipating. Vahn jumps in front of Nazir and Cassidy, he then raises his shield as bullets pound into it. Voltaire cracks her whip and a pack of wolves form and rush into the horde. Voltaire cracks her whip again, and the wolves explode in a flash of orange. Debris bounces off of Vahns shield, and he rushes forward. Slamming his shield into several sentries, he thrust his joust in front of him. The tip of the joust sends an electrical charge through the sentries. Nazir rushes forward and cuts down several sentries aiming for Vahn.

Nazir hits his armguards together and the blades retract. Then replacing them are two small tubes, and buttons are placed on his palms. He closes his fist and begins shooting rifle rounds into the sentries from his wrist. Cassidy cuts down three more sentries as she sees cracking her whip and sending several goats to ram into the sentries. She cuts down another sentry. She puts the bottoms of her katana together. They clasp into place, and a thin string shoots from the tips and connects them together. She reaches under her skirt and strapped to her leg are small tubes. She knocks one into her bow and from the front of the tube forms an ice arrow. She releases, and shoots it behind Nazir, and five sentries are frozen. Voltaire looks and sees Cassidy shooting arrow after arrow. She cracks her whip and creates two Bulls, and sends them barreling into the horde. She cracks her whip again and blows up many looks back and sees the forklifts loading the last crate onto a carrier. "Alright lads! It's time to leave!"

Cassidy cuts down two more sentries as she rushes towards the exit. Voltaire makes a horse, and hops on while it rushes out towards the carriers. Nazir cuts down a few sentries before sprinting to the carriers. Vahn goes to run, but is stopped as a downed sentry holds onto his ankle. Vahn crushes it with his other foot, but is jumped on by another sentry. Then a few more jump onto him, within a second a pile is made. A flash of viridian is seen from underneath, then Vahn is surrounded by a transparent green bubble. It knocked all the sentries away and he rushes towards the carriers.

Nazir exits the building right behind Cassidy and looks back for Vahn. He sees Vahn running at him from inside the building. Vahn puts his shield on his back and speeds up. Nazir aims his wrist guns at Vahn, and the horde chasing him. Vahn hears several bullets hit his shield and puts his head down while running. Nazir fires past Vahn onto the horde, and several sentries drop. Vahn looks up and an ice arrow whizzes by his face as several sentries are frozen behind him. Vahn jumps over a group of rabbits as they jump into the horde. An explosion from behind propels him forward in the air. He tumbles for a second before rolling to his feet and keeps running.

Vahn sees that his friends are on the last carrier waiting for him. The carrier begins to take off. Nazir is waving him on as the carrier begins to lift off the ground. Cassidy is shooting at sentries behind him, as Voltaire is making hawks to fly into the horde. Vahn is only a few meters away as the carrier is about eight feet off the ground. Vahn jumps and grabs onto the hatch, and he attempts to pull himself up. The carrier shakes and Vahn loses his grip. Vahn reaches up for anything, and Nazir reaches his hand down and grabs a hold of Vahns. Nazir pulls Vahn into the carrier as they both lay down on the floor of the carrier. The hatch closes behind them as they both breath heavily. Cassidy and Voltaire are sitting down in the seats looking at them. Vahn soon stands and helps Nazir to his feet. He sees that the carrier is almost full of crates, so he squeezes over and sits down against the wall of the carrier.

"Thanks, lads" Vahn said looking at his friends sitting by him. To his left Nazir just sat, while Cassidy and Voltaire are sitting to his right. Cassidy looks up at Vahn and smiles, While Voltaire smiles and gives him a salute. Nazir simply smirks, and leans back.

The ride back was fairly short, because they fell asleep from being tired. Once they landed in camp, the pilot opened the hatch. This startled all four of them awake. Voltaire and Cassidy were leaning against each other, but snapped up from the noise. Vahn slowly lifts his head and rubs his sore neck. Nazir opens his eyes and yawns while stretching. They walk off the carrier and head into camp. They make their way to the center of the camp, in order to tell their boss they completed their mission. They drag their feet towards the tent, even the ladies could barely lift their heels off the ground. Once they reach the tent, Vahn knocks on the post.

"You may enter" came from inside. Vahn parted the flap and let the rest of them inside. The flap closed behind him as he stepped inside. They all stood there looking at Laohu, his fingers locked in front of his face waiting. Vahn stepped forward in front of everyone.

"We completed the mission sir" Vahn said looking at Laohu. Laohu nods and looks at all of them. A minute passes as they all shift uncomfortably. Laohu then sighs, and moves his hands down onto the table.

"Good job" he said looking over all of them. "I now need you all to do another mission."

They all wanted to yell, but held it in as they stared at the man. Laohu slides a packet of papers across the table at them. Vahn looks down and grabs the packet looking over it.

"I need all four of you to infiltrate Shepherd Academy" Laohu stated looking directly at them. They all looked at him. "I'll have you four be new students there. I've gained word that they just opened their doors to humans this upcoming fall."

All four of them looked shocked to hear this. They glanced at each other, and looked back at Laohu. Voltaire stepped forward and grabbed the packet from Vahn. Cassidy steps up next to her and begins reading it with her. Nazir shifts his weight and just wait for more information.

"The brothers are attending Shepherd Academy" Cassidy and Voltaire shot their heads up at this. While Vahn and Nazir simply look perturbed. "You will maintain a low profile and observe them. You will need to attend initiation tomorrow. I will keep in touch throughout the year. Well, with that said, good luck throughout the year. You may now rest and prepare."

"Sir, yea sir!" They all respond as they shuffle out of the tent.


	4. The Last Supper

The cold ocean breeze blows through Ray's hair as he leans against the railing of the ferry. Seagulls fly over head, squawking occasionally. Ray looks out over the sea as he simply smiles at the endless pool of blue. The rocks ever so slightly as Axel approaches Ray from behind. Axel leans against the rail and simply looks out with Ray.

"Well" Axel starts looking at Ray, who in which tilts his head to listen to his brother. "We should see Shepherd over the horizon soon"

Ray simply nods, he then stands up straight and turns away from the rail. In front of him were several students his age, but they were all Faunus. This would not be a problem normally, except that Ray and Axel are the only humans on the ship. They all seem to give Ray and Axel stares as they walk by, and no one has approached the brothers. The trip consisted of Ray and Axel merely standing at the front of ship hoping that the island with their school will show up eventually.

"Hey" Axel said nudging Ray in the shoulder. Ray turns toward Axel, who in which merely points over the horizon. Ray looks and squints his eyes, for the sun was beginning to descend over the horizon. On the horizon, he sees the outline of a island. Ray smiles and looks at Axel, who simply nods in return. Shepherds Academy is in sight.

They soon reach the island, and they pull into a bay. Shaped like a crescent they approach the inner most curve, and they stop next to a dock. Once the ship stops in the water, a gate is opened on the ship to let the students off. Ray and Axel are the first ones off, they rush onto the dock with big duffle bags over their shoulders and take in the sight in front of them. Letting out a simultaneous 'wow' they look at the school ahead. On top of a hill, lays the foundation of Shepherds Academy. Looking over the bay, it stands as the highest point on the island. It has excellent brick work, that shows off the excellent masonry. Several tall building stand together around a lone clock tower, and the tower was huge. Ray and Axel merely take in their surrounding as a man in a black suit approaches them. He has white curly hair, that forms a natural perm on his head. Walking on the docks toward the students taking in the sight before them. He stops a few meters in front of the group and looks at a tablet he is holding. He slides a page and then looks up at the students with a warm smile.

"Welcome to Shepherds Academy" he says. "I am Professor Baldwin, I am the combat instructor. Now, let's get going, don't want to keep Chancellor Elizabeth waiting"

He then turns and waves for the group of students to follow. They shuffle after the professor as he flips through his tablet. Ray and Axel get close to the professor and look over his shoulder at the scroll. The professor twitches and turns the scroll off, and the brothers boo at him. He merely keeps on walking. Soon they approach a large set of stairs, and all the students look up as the professor takes a step. The students groan and begin following him up the steps. The stairs curve along the hill, to allow access to buildings on the hill, but the building they were going to was at the top of the hill.

Ray groans as he looks up to see several more flights of stairs. Axel laughs and pats him on the back. They soon reach the top of the steps, and students are breathing raggedly. Professor Baldwin looks back and sighs at the students, and he signals them to follow after him.

They walk down a cobblestone path with streetlights off to the side. Walking around the buildings, they eventually come to a wide clearing, in the center is a large statue of a Faunus cutting down an ursa. Ray and Axel stare at the statue for a second, but are soon trying to catch up to the rest of the group. The group of students walk into the building at the base of the clock tower. Inside, they see a large lobby. The lobby consisted of marble flooring, the chandeliers above reflected off the floor. Several columns reach into the air to support the large area. The group walks in between the columns heading for a large double door. Professor Baldwin opens the door, and noise attacks them from inside. The students walk inside the large room to see a grand auditorium. A large stage with blue curtains lays in front of the rows of students. Professor Baldwin leads them down through the auditorium. He stops among many empty seats and gestures for the students to seat down in the immediate area. Ray and Axel squeeze through a few students, and they find two empty seats in the middle column. Once they are seated, they look out over the stage.

A beautiful woman with flowing blond hair is soon seen walking onto center stage, and her long tail flows with the movement of her hips. Her black heels clack against the stage as she moves onto center stage. Wearing black slacks, she steps up behind a pedestal with a microphone attached to it. She pulls a watch out from the pocket of her suit and smiles. She then taps the microphone to make sure it is working.

"Good afternoon" she begins with a sultry voice. "I am Chancellor Elizabeth Goldenmane. Now, first I would like to welcome you all to Shepherd Academy. This fine establishment was constructed not to long ago. In fact, this marks the fiftieth fall semester. With that said, this has been primarily a Faunus only institute. However, this is also the first year that humans will be allowed to attend school here."

The auditorium is filled with hushed conversations at this announcement. Ray and Axel breath a sigh of relief, they started to think their acceptance and grant money was some sick joke. They look at each other and then high five. They soon are directing their attention back to the stage though.

"This is a decision that I pushed through, for it is to better our relationship with our brothers in the field of combat. After all, grim don't differentiate between a faunus or a human. Now, with that said, allow me to introduce one of our human students attending this fall, who in which is coming on a academic scholarship." Chancellor Elizabeth then gestures towards the right of the stage. A head of long turquoise hair peaks out from the side curtain. The girl then directs her bright pink eyes to Chancellor Elizabeth, who in which smiles and waves her on. The girl steps away from the curtain and meekly shuffles her pink sneakers over towards the pedestal. She is wearing a blue sweater that is a size too big, so her sleeves reach into her palms. The sweater comes down and stops at her mid thigh. Black leggings cover her legs as she moves up to the pedestal. Chancellor Elizabeth steps down and allows the girl to stand at the pedestal. The top of her head is all the crowd can see however, and professor Baldwin walks across the stage with a stepping stool. Placing it in front of The girl, she then thanks him and looks over the auditorium.

"Um...I-I-I'm Ripley Aran..." She said with a meek and nervous voice. Ray and Axel look at the girl with a sense of understanding, after all, being the only other human they have seen. She looks down for a second before looking over the crowd again. "I'm...um...hoping we can all get along. I...uh...look forward to attending school with you all"

She finishes quickly and steps down from the pedestal. She turns to Chancellor Elizabeth, bows slightly and runs off the stage. Elizabeth takes her place at the pedestal again. She then pulls her watch out from her suit and sighs.

"I hope you treat her, and the other two human students with respect." Ray and Axel looked at each other, then all around them. They then bring their attention back to the stage. "They are your comrades in the classroom and on the field. What the rest of today will consist of, is you students meeting your fellow teammates. You will be checked into your dorm, and then you may help yourselves to a meal in the cafeteria."

She then hears students happily conversing over their new teammates and what to eat. Soon laughter fills the auditorium, and all the students stop and look into amber eyes. Chancellor Elizabeth soon stops and looks at the students.

"Tomorrow, is when the fun begins. You all will be tested in your capabilities on the field. It is, an initiation, so to speak. This will decide whether your new team is ready. Some of you are thinking, but I just met these people today! Well, everyone here has the prerequisite requirements to attend this institute. You should all be able to complete this mission; however, I know that not all of you will make it. That's why we're offering you food on this first night, it is for some of you, the last supper." She then giggles sweetly, almost like what she said was not morbid at all. "I have the utmost confidence in my children before me. I expect you all to be at the Ring of Life tomorrow morning. From there, you will receive instructions before departing for your trial. With that said, rest well tonight, you'll need it. Dismissed!"

She then steps down from the pedestal and leaves the stage. The auditorium fills students shuffling past each other and exiting the auditorium. Once outside, Ray and Axel carry their bags off to the side and let the other students pass.

"Hehehe" Ray laughs looking at Axel. Axel smiles in return, then they both say "tomorrow is going to be fun!"

o0o

Vahn and Nazir leave the auditorium together, the lobby only had a few people inside. They lagged behind so that they could speak to Cassidy and Voltaire, whom in which just walked into the lobby.

"Man! That was sure annoying!" Voltaire said walking into the lobby. Cassidy followed closely behind, yawning from being inside the auditorium. They notice Vahn and Nazir leaning against the wall and make their way over to them.

"We'll talk and walk" Vahn said moving towards the exit. The other three soon follow after him. Each one of them had a small duffle bag to carry their necessities in. Vahn stops a professor walking by, who just so happens to be professor Baldwin. "Excuse me, but we were wondering if you knew where the dorms were?"

"You see that building over there?" Professor Baldwin said, while pointing to a building on the other side of the statue in front of the auditorium building. Vahn nods his confirmation, and the other three simply look at the building. "Those are the student dorms. Professor Tesmon is there now giving students their room numbers"

"Thank you, c'mon guys" Vahn thanks the man, then the three of them walk towards the building. They walk past the statue, and walk towards the building behind it. "So, only three human students?"

"It appearssssss so" Cassidy says "I just wonder where those racist brothers are at"

"Racist?" Nazir questions looking at Cassidy. She nods and looks ahead.

"you should've heard some of the things one of them said" Voltaire said angrily. "It's not any different any of the other things humans say, but it still hurts"

Vahn nods as they approach the building. The building had a brick exterior, like everything else at the school. Except this building had two towers sticking up at each side. The towers rivaled the clock tower in height, for they are several stories high. They walk up the front steps leading to double doors. Vahn pushes the door open and steps inside. His feet hit a blue carpet as the others follow him inside. Walking towards a table at the far wall of the door. A burly bearded man is sitting there, once he notices Vahn and his party he grabs a large scroll.

"You must be Professor Tesmon" Vahn said stopping in front of the table. "Can you tell us our rooms?"

"Names" the man said with a rough voice. He has short black hair, and he has round furry ears at the top of his head. He is wearing a white muscle shirt and grey sweatpants. Combat boots tap the carpet impatiently as he looks up, and black eyes look right through Vahn.

"Vahn Girder" he said stepping to the side now.

"Hmm...room 512" Tesmon said looking at his tablet. As he said this, Nazir walks up to stand in front of him.

"Nazir Mandella" Nazir says standing next to Vahn.

"You're in the same room as him" he said pointing over at Vahn. Relief flashes across their faces. Then Cassidy steps toward the table.

"Cassidy Lockheart" she says standing in front of the man. He picks up another tablet and slides through it.

"Room 512" he says. Cassidy smiles, Thinking that they'll all be on the team. "Building B"

"Building B?" Cassidy ask as the others look confused. The man laughs, and points to their left. A set of stairs is seen next to an elevator.

"That's the way up building B" the man said. He then points to their right at an identical set of stairs and elevator, except the elevator is out of order. "This is the stairway to building A"

"So...it's the same floor and room number..." Cassidy begins. "But in different buildings?"

"Yes" Professor Tesmon said while rolling his eyes. Cassidy steps over towards building B waiting for Voltaire. Voltaire steps up nervously, hoping she will be in the same room as Cassidy.

"Voltaire Rakora" she said looking over at Cassidy. Cassidy smiles back at her as Tesmon looked through the tablet.

"Same room as her" he said looking at the tablet. Voltaire sighs in relief and walks towards Cassidy. They all begin to walk towards the stairs. "Wait! Get back here!"

They all stop dead in their tracks. One thing was going through all their minds, 'does he know we're members of the Black Claw?' They all turn back towards the table. They slowly walk back, remaining cautious not sure what the man had planned.

"Ya'll forgot to register your scrolls for your room" Tesmon said motioning to a stand attached to his tablet. They all sigh and walk back towards the table. Vahn and Nazir place their tablets on the stand, while Tesmon presses against the tablet screen. "You two are good to go"

They both grab their scrolls and head for the stairs to building A. Cassidy and Voltaire place their scrolls onto the stand and wait. The man slides through the tablet and presses on the screen a bit. He then nods at the girls signaling they can leave. The girls take their scrolls and head towards the elevator of building B. They press the button and wait for the elevator.

"Hehehe" Voltaire giggles. Cassidy looks at her confused. "The guys have to take the stairs"

She then laughs again as Cassidy shakes her head smiling. The elevator dings, and it opens. Ripley is seen inside, and she smiles up at the two girls. Cassidy and Voltaire step aside to let her through, and she runs out heading for the exit. Cassidy and Voltaire step into the elevator and drop their bags. Voltaire presses floor five, and then the doors close.

Nazir opens a door to the fifth floor and sighs. He steps into the hallway and Vahn approaches from behind. Vahn steps in front of Nazir, and Nazir soon follows in silence. They go past room '507' as walk through the hall.

"I hope that our teammates aren't too loud" Nazir said walking beside Vahn. Vahn nods as they walk past '509'.

"Let's hope that they can at least stay out of trouble too" Vahn added as they walked past '511'. They stepped on front of the door to their room, and stared at it. Vahn brought up his scroll and placed it against the scanner to the right of the door. They heard a clicking sound, Nazir grabbed the door knob. Vahn waited as Nazir turned the knob and pushed it open.

"Dammit Axel!" They heard Ray yell, while Axel had Ray in a headlock. "I want bottom bunk!"

Vahn and Nazir looked at each other, they sighed and proceed inside the room.

o0o

Cassidy and Voltaire open the door to their room. They step inside a walkway, and see closed door to the right. They hear water running and walk past the door into the room. They see two sets of bunk beds, and two desk along each wall by the bunk beds. They see a duffle bag on the set of beds to the right, so they put theirs on the left. Cassidy threw her bag on the top bunk, and Voltaire put hers on the bottom bunk. They turn around and see that each wall adjacent to the walkway has two big closets. They hear a door creak open and see a girl walk out of it. She looks surprised to see Cassidy and Voltaire in the room, she then smiles and walks over to them.

"I'm Leona Lunari" The girl said approaching both of them. She holds out both her hands, so Cassidy and Voltaire can shake them at the same time. They both shake her hand and introduce themselves.

"Cassidy Lockheart" Cassidy says smiling at the girl.

"Voltaire Rakori" Voltaire says giggling at Leona. Leona nods and sits on the bottom bunk of the right beds. Cassidy and Voltaire sit down in front of her on the opposite bed.

"Did you guys see Ripley? Well, the human girl?" She asked them both. Cassidy and Voltaire nod looking at her. Leona perks up at hearing that. "Good. She's our other teammate. She said she was starving and went to the cafeteria."

"That explains why she was running towards the exit" Cassidy said. She giggles and Voltaire laughs with her. Leona smiles and stands up.

"Yea" Leona says stretching. "I think I'm going to join her. Do you two wanna come?"

"Well, I'm not going" Voltaire said "I wanna unpack first"

"I wish to do the same" Cassidy said looking at Leona. Leona scratches her cheek as she looks at her duffle bag.

"I guess I should do the same hehe" Leona said grabbing her bag. Cassidy and Voltaire do the same, and they all begin to unpack.

o0o

Vahn and Nazir sigh as they walk behind the two brothers. Ray and Axel laugh as they lead the way out of the building. Vahn and Nazir are soon walking next to the brothers as the brothers slow down to let them catch up.

"So...what do you guys do for fun?" Axel asked looking past Ray at the other two.

"I like to read" Vahn said looking at the brothers and shrugging. Ray smiled up at Vahn while Axel made a look of disgust.

"Hmm...women" Nazir said laughing as they walked by the statue. Axel laughed as Ray scowled. "I'm kidding guys. I like to go outside and do things, like run and stuff. I always used to play catch with my dad and everything."

"That's always fun" Vahn said rubbing the stubble on his chin. "I remember playing outside with my dad all the time"

Ray and Axel listened as the two talked about their parents. Noticing that they were quiet, Vahn and Nazir look at the brothers. "What about you lads?" Vahn asked them.

"Well" Ray started scratching his head. Axel chuckles looking ahead. "We're orphans"

Vahn and Nazir look surprised to hear this. They just assumed they had parents. Ray and Axel shrug as they keep walking towards a building with a lot of faunus entering and exiting. They walk towards that building guessing that the cafeteria is there.

"I'm sorry to hear that lads" Vahn said as Nazir nods. Ray shrugs and Axel laughs.

"It's alright" Axel said "we're used to it"

"Well, if you don't mind me asking?" Vahn said looking at the two brothers. Axel smiles and Ray shrugs again. "How did you two pay to get into school?"

"What do you mean?" Ray asked

"Since you probably don't have a scholarship" Vahn stated "considering you weren't on stage with the Ripley girl, so I'm making an assumption. Also, you don't have parents to cosign for loans. How are you paying for school?"

"We're not paying to come here" Ray said looking at Vahn and Nazir. "The school is paying us to attend as a minority"

Ray and Axel smile at the two as they approach the big building. Several students go in and out laughing amongst themselves. The four boys walk inside and see a plethora of tables strewn about the room. Most were packed with students conversing and laughing with each other. The boys look around embracing the atmosphere as they soon find a round table to themselves. Vahn and Nazir sit down at the table, while Axel and Ray stand next to the table.

"You guys watch the table" Axel said, as Ray turns and walks towards the lunch line. "We'll come back with some food"

"Thanks" Nazir says smirking at Axel. Vahn nods at Axel while he turns around to catch up with Ray. Vahn and Nazir look at each other and sigh.

"We're so unlucky" Vahn says putting his head in his hands. Nazir nods and leans back in his chair.

"Naturally our teammates are Cassidy and Voltaires targets." Nazir says looking at the high ceiling.

"The only humans in the school" Vahn says "and we're teamed up with them"

Ray and Axel are standing in line as everyone around them is giving them funny looks. Ray and Axel converse normally, ignoring the intrusive eyes around. They then grab trays from a rack on the side as they move along the line. An old lady smiles at Ray and Axel as she places a plate with roast beef and mashed potatoes on it.

"Um...I was wondering" Ray says looking at the lady. She stops and looks at Ray now. "If we could get two plates?"

"It's not for us" Axel says before the lady could answer. She looks at Axel now while he explains. He points at Vahn and Nazir sitting at a table behind them. "They're for our teammates sitting over there"

The lady nods, and hands them each another plate. They both say thanks and move down the line. They grab four paper cups at the end, they also grab some plastic forks and knives. They then walk to a beverage station, and fill their cups with ice and water.

"Man we're lucky" Ray says looking at his cup filling with water. Axel glances at Ray as he fills the second cup. "We have two cool guys on our team, and they look strong too!"

"Yea, at least they aren't racist like everyone else seems to be" Axel said taking note of the way most of the other students glared at them. He grabs four lids for the cups, while Ray grabs four straws. They then cover the cups with lids and walk back to Vahn and Nazir. "I'm glad they at least seem friendly"

They weave through tables and students alike as they make their way over to Vahn and Nazir. They place their trays in the center of the table, and take their seats across from Vahn and Nazir. They all grab their food and begin to eat. Ray takes a sip of his water as he looks at Vahn and Nazir quietly eating across from him. He then turns to look at Axel, but Axel is looking right at his food. Ray sighs, as he sees no chance to start a conversation. These guys must be the eat first, converse later type. Ray takes a bite of some roast beef as he looks around the cafeteria. He spots Ripley a few tables to his right, and she is with a group of guys. The guys seem to be surrounding her as she squirms trying to shake them off. The guys seem to be pulling at her sweater as she politely tells them to stop.

Ray puts his fork and knife down, and gets up out of his seat. Vahn and Nazir look up to see Ray looking at a table to their left. They see Ripley getting harassed by a group of guys. They soon recognize the guy pulling at her sweater, and Vahn shoots up out of his chair and rushes in front of Ray. Axel looks up and sees Vahn standing in front of Ray, he raises an eyebrow and looks at Nazir. Nazir simply shrugs and watches Vahn.

"You don't wanna mess with them laddie" Vahn says looking at Ray. Ray looks from the group of guys to look at Vahn. Vahn then points to a taller guy standing next to Ripley. He had his blond hair styled in a Brit pop crop. A red sleeved arm pulls Ripley closer as he sits down next to her. He crosses his skinny Jean's covered legs and taps his sneakers against the floor. "That man there, is the Prince of this country, Portgas Robespierre III"

"Is he now?" Ray asked looking over at the guys. Axel looks past Vahn and Ray to see what was going on. Axel places his plastic ware on the table and stands up from his chair. "Well, no man should treat a lady like that"

Ray pushes past Vahn as Axel slowly walks behind him. Axel decided to hang back, he knew Ray could probably handle this peacefully. Axel puts his hands on his pockets and sighs while watching Ray rush over. Ray stops a few feet away from their table and looks directly at Ripley. Ripley looks up at him with surprise in her eyes, he also notices that those eyes are filled with tears threatening to fall. The guys do not even notice as they continue laughing and harassing Ripley.

"Hey" Ray said trying to get their attention. The guys kept laughing and talking, and Axel stops a few feet behind Ray. Vahn and Nazir stand over by the table watching them. Ray then yells and slams his fist on their table. This gets everyone's attention in the cafeteria. "HEY!"

Portgas and his friends stop laughing and look up at Ray. Ray lifts his hand from the table and looks at the guys sitting in front of him. They soon stand up and step in front of the table towards Ray. Portgas merely raises his hand, and the guys stop. Portgas then looks Ray in the eyes, gold meets Amber as they look at each other. Portgas twitches the ears above his head smiles and Ray.

"Well" The one in front of Portgas began. He had black hair in a crew cut, and eyes green like a tree leaf in the middle of summer. He crosses his arms in front of his blue blazer, looks Ray up and down. He then smirks and chuckles a bit while stepping back over to Portgas. Black slack covered legs carry him back to Portgas. Black loafers pad against the ground, he then leans against the table. "I am Neal Regalie, Portgas' personal body guard. Speak what you will then leave, lice bag"

"No one insults Ray like that!" Axel said angrily rushing toward Neal. He pulls his fist back and throws it aiming for his face. Neal remains still, not evening recognizing the fist. Then a dark skinned hand grabs the fist and stops it a few inches in front of Neals face. Axel looks at the interloper angrily, and silver met orange as they glared at each other. His orange ears twitches above his wild black hair, and he has orange highlights. He was wearing a red open vest with nothing underneath, revealing his toned body to the world. He was also wearing white cotton pants that went into his brown grieves. Axel pulled his fist away and stared at the man.

"You don't know who this is?" A fourth man steps forward chuckling at the two. He throws his long silver hair behind his shoulders and approaches them both. Eyes slitted and playful with a unique shade of blue look over Axel. He puts his hands into the sleeves of his sea green haori, underneath a emerald green kimono is seen. Black hakama pants carry him in front of the two. His white zori clack against the floor when he stops in front of them both. "This is Cyrus Bahadur, the Astol champion"

"Who?" Axel asked looking at Ray. Ray shrugged and looked at the man.

"He's the number one seed from our school!" The silver haired man said gesturing towards Cyrus. "He's predicted to win the vytal festival for our school!"

"Never heard of him" Ray said simply. Axel nods and crosses his arms in front of his chest in front of his chest looking unimpressed.

"HE'S THE GUY ON EVERY BOTTLE OF FIZZY PEAKS!" He yelled at them both. Their eyes widen tremendously and their mouths hang open in shock.

"That's you!?" They ask looking at Cyrus. Cyrus rolls his eyes and turns toward the silver haired man.

"Don't even bother with these idiots Seiji" Cyrus said to the silver haired man. "They're both simple humans"

"Now" Ray and Axel look towards Portgas as he speaks. He puts his hand on Ripleys hip and pulls her onto his lap. "I'll give you a few moments of my time, lice bag"

"The girl is obviously uncomfortable" Ray states ignoring the insult. He looks at Ripley and sees her squirming away from Portgas. Portgas pulls her back and looks at Ray. "Let her be, you shouldn't treat a lady like that"

"You creatures are anything but men and women" Portgas says looking right into Ray's eyes. He then runs a hand up Ripleys side, and she shudders in disgust. "You humans are simply toys for us to play with"

"We're all people here" Ray says trying to calm himself down. He grits his teeth trying to stay calm. He looks to his left and sees Axel seething with rage. "Now let her go"

"Hehehe" Portgas laughs as he lets go of Ripley and stands up. Ripley attempts to leave, only to be tugged back by Portgas like some sort of doll. He pulls her and licks her face as she yells in disgust as tears start to fall down her face. "This toy is-"

Ray cuts him off by rushing forward and punching him in the face. Ripley starts to fall, because Portgas was holding onto her. Ray wraps his arm around her back and keeps her on her feet. Portgas falls on the ground as his friends stand at the table looking shocked. In fact, everyone except for Axel looks shocked. Portgas sits up and looks at Ray, he then rubs his cheek as he glares at Ray.

"Do you know who I am!?" Portgas says as he stands up and stalks over to Ray. Ray merely glares up at the man as he stands a head taller than Ray. "I am Prince Portgas Robespierre III. My father is the king of this country! He is a man you wouldn't want to be against"

Everyone in the cafeteria looks at the two glaring at each other. Ray then gently nudges Ripley behind him as he glances at Axel. Axel is now standing behind Cyrus as he looks at Ray. Ray brings his attention back to Portgas, who was still glaring down at him. Ray then smirks as he looks at Portgas, and Portgas looks slightly confused. Fast as lightning, speed that only comes from experience, Ray brings his right fist up and hooks Portgas in the face. Portgas' body becomes parallel to the ground, and the blow leveled him. his face bounces off the ground as it was the first part of his body to make contact. Everyone in the cafeteria is stunned at the strength of the punch.

"I don't care if he's the damn queen!" Ray yelled with anger in his eyes. "I won't let you treat a lady like a piece of meat!"

Portgas' friends then begin to rush towards Ray. But, Axel grabs Cyrus by the waist before he could take one step. He then leans back and gives the man a suplex. Cyrus slams into the ground, and Axel stands up. He rushes towards Ray as Neal and Seiji attack Ray. Ripley stands at the side stunned at what just happened.

'No ones ever defended me before' she thinks as she looks at Ray fight two guys at once. Axel soon tackles Neal as Ray punches Seiji in the stomach. Portgas gets up on shaky feet and rushes at Ray from behind. "Look out!"

Ray hears Ripley and turns around to see a fist flying into his face. Ray falls on the ground as Portgas jumps on top of him. Portgas punches Ray in the face, as Cyrus gets up and rushes at Axel. He kicks Axel in the side and Axel rolls off of Neal and crashes against a table. The students sitting there jump up and they back away from the table. Portgas pulls back to punch Ray again, but a boot connects with his face sending him sprawling on the ground. Vahn then punchs Seiji in the face as Nazir sucker punches Cyrus. Nazir helps Axel up, while Vahn helps Ray. Neil helps Portgas up. Seiji and Cyrus stand up, and the two groups then glare at each other. All the students are quiet and the cafeteria is watching intently at the eight men. Ray and Portgas step forward at the same time and rush at each other.

"STOP!" Came a yell from the entrance. Everyone in the cafeteria stopped in their tracks. They all stood completely still, almost as if the words demanded obedience. Professor Baldwin and Chancellor Elizabeth just walked through the entrance to the cafeteria. Chancellor Elizabeth storms over to the group of men. "What is going on here!?"

The boys glare at each other as they stand frozen. They soon are able to move, and everyone else in the cafeteria is also. Portgas steps toward Elizabeth as do his friends.

"We were enjoying our meal" Portgas began looking at Elizabeth. He then turns to Ray and points at him. "Until that man there started a fight with us. He came up and punched me in the face!"

"What!? That's not what happened!" Ray defended looking at Portgas. He then looks at Elizabeth. "I mean, it kind of is, but that's not all that happened!"

"Well" Elizabeth began. "Since you seem to have instigated the fight, and Mr. Robespierre and his team were defending themselves. I'm sorry, but the school rules state that your team will be suspended for a week. While suspended, you cannot partake in school events either, so you four will be unable to attend initiation tomorrow."

"But" Axel said eyes widening looking up at the chancellor "I thought you needed to do the initiation to get into the school?"

"Exactly" Elizabeth said looking downcast. "Since you four now can not participate, you will be removed from the school."

"You're expelling us!?" Nazir yelled growing angry and stepping toward the chancellor "for just a simple fight!?"

"Yes" Elizabeth said reluctantly "that unfortunately is the case"

Ray looked down, he couldn't believe he was expelled in less than a day. It felt like the whole world was sitting on his chest. Axel closes his eyes and grits his teeth. Nazir scowls as he glares at Portgas. Vahn sighs and puts his hands in his pockets. Portgas and his team smirk at the four men. Ray looks up at him and glares daggers at the man. He then looks around and sees that most of the students around appear happy. He looks at his feet as his eyes tear up. Just then, a hand pulls at Chancellor Elizabeths sleeve. She looks down and sees Ripley looking up at her.

"Yes, child?" Elizabeth said addressing Ripley. "What is it?"

"Um...he was protecting me" Ripley said pointing and looking at Ray. Ray looked up at her with tears still in his eyes. Ripley blushed and looked back at Elizabeth. She then points at Portgas and his teammates "Those guys over there were harassing me"

"Is that so?" Portgas scowled at the girls back, as Elizabeth looked at the group. She pulls out her pocket watch and frowns. Elizabeth then pats Ripley on the head, she sighs and turns toward Ray. "It seems you did something noble. I will delve deeper into the matter at a later date. Mr. Robespierre, please escort your team back to the dorm room, for I will not tolerate harassment. Even if your father is this country's King"

She then stares at Portgas and his team as they walk in between her and Ray. Portgas glares at Ray while he walks past, Ray scowls up at him and watches him go. Elizabeth follows after them and glances at Ray while she leaves. While they leave the building, coming inside is Cassidy, Voltaire, and Leona. Vahn and Nazir look up at them as they walk inside. Axel recognizes Leona and looks surprised.

"Um...excuse me" Ripley taps Ray on the shoulder and he directs his attention to her. Standing a head shorter than him, she looks up at him and blushes, she then looks down again. Ray smiles at the girl and waits for her to speak. Ripley shuffles her feet against the ground and looks up at him again. "Thank you...for helping me when no one else would"

"Hehehe" Ray chuckles looking at Ripley. "It's alright, I just can't sit idle while a girl is being treated like that."

"Ripley!" A woman's voice yells from behind. They turn and see Leona heading towards them. She walks up to Ripley and smiles down at the girl. She then notices Ripley being close to Ray and sends a sly smirk to Ripley. "Who's your friend Ripley?"

"So...what happened here?" Cassidy asked as her and Voltaire stood next to Vahn and Nazir. Vahn sighs and Nazir slaps his forehead.

"Dumb and dumber over there" Nazir said pointing at Ray and Axel. "Picked a fight with the prince, because he was harassing that girl there"

"Is that so?" Cassidy asked looking at Ray converse with Ripley. Leona then walks over and joins them. "That girl is our other teammate I suppose"

"Yea?" Vahn questioned. Cassidy and Voltaire nodded looking at Vahn. "We found are teammates too"

"Oh really?" Voltaire asked "who are they?"

"Those two" Nazir said pointing at Ray and Axel. Cassidy and Voltaires eyes bulged out of their heads at this.

"Um...this is..." Ripley started looking at Ray. Axel is simply watching in amusement as Leona did not notice him standing to the side. Ripley then looks down at her feet. "I actually don't know his name"

"My names Ray" Ray said sticking out both his hands to the girls. Leona laughs and puts her left hand in his left, and Ripley places her right in his right. "Ray Relian"

"I'm Leona Lunari" Leona stated looking at Ray and smiling. They all pulled their hands away, while Axel walks over towards them.

"I'm Axel Alexanderson" Axel said wrapping an arm around Ray and startling Leona. Ripley looked up at the man and smiled. Axel smiles down at her and sticks out his hand for her to shake. They shake hands and then Axel pulls Ray into a headlock and rubs his fist against Ray's head. "And this guy is my little brother!"

"You're the guy from yesterday!" Leona says pointing at Axel. Ray and Ripley look confused, as they look at her then Axel. Axel laughs and nods his head.

"He helped me fight off some thugs yesterday." Leona said wagging her tail as she looked at Axel. Ray and Ripley hold back their laughs as they see her tail go crazy. "But how do you know these two, Rips?"

"Well" Ripley said meekly looking at Ray and blushing. Axel notices and grins at the girl. Leona giggles at the girl and ruffles her hair. Ray looks at Ripley waiting for the girl to speak. Ripley looks at her feet and shuffles them against the ground. "He pro-protected me from these guys harassing me"

"Oh I see" Leona said smiling at Ray. Then the words process in her head as she looks down at Ripley in concern. "Wait what!? Who!?"

"The prince of this country" Vahn said walking over to them with Nazir, Cassidy and Voltaire following behind him. "Prince Portgas is the one who was harassing Ripley here."

"The prince!? What the hell!?" Leona said surprised. Ray then walks over to Vahn and Nazir.

"These are our teammates" Ray said gesturing toward Vahn and Nazir. Ripley giggles thinking that Ray sounded like a pirate. Leona looks at the two while Cassidy and Voltaire walk toward Leona.

"I'm Vahn Girder" Vahn said bowing slightly. "A pleasure to meet you"

"Haha" Ray smiles at Vahns introduction, he then gestures toward Nazir. Nazir steps forward and yawns. "This is..."

"Nazir Mandella" Nazir says putting his hands behind his head as his panther ears stand up. Smirking at Cassidy and Voltaire. "Nice to meet you girls"

"It's nice to meet you guys too" Leona says smiling at all of them. She then looks and sees Cassidy and Voltaire next to her. Her ears twitch as she gets a look of remembrance. "Oh! I forgot to introduce my teammates!"

"Allow me" Cassidy said stepping in front of the girls. She then does a little curtsy. "I am Cassidy Lockheart, a pleasure to make your acquaintance"

"Hehehe" Voltaire giggles at Cassidy's introduction. She then steps up next to Cassidy and smiles at the guys. "I'm Voltaire Rakori, nice to meet you!"

Vahn and Nazir chuckle to themselves as Cassidy and Voltaire smirk at them. Ray and Axel laugh at the group, as Leona laughs with them. Ripley stands slightly behind Leona smiling at everyone.

"Man I'm starving" Leona says, rubbing her stomach. Cassidy and Voltaire agree with Leona. Leona then looks at Ripley. "I know you already ate, but care to stay and chat with us?"

"Um...sure. I-I didn't really get a chance to eat anyway" Ripley says looking at Leona. She then looks over at Ray and Axel, she smiles at Ray and blushes. "I guess w-we'll see you guys later?"

"Yea" Ray said turning towards the exit with Axel. Vahn and Nazir are already walking toward the exit, as Axel and Ray stay back for a second. "We'll see you guys tomorrow during initiation."

Ray and Axel then follow behind Vahn and Nazir. Axel looks back and winks at Leona, who then blushes and wags her tail. Axel chuckles and continues out of the cafeteria with Ray. Leona then turns and looks at Cassidy and Voltaire. They are already sitting at a table conversing with each other, laughing occasionally and having a good time. Leona then looks at Ripley and smiles as they both walk to the table with Cassidy and Voltaire.


End file.
